Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant

BLK Super speciality hospital is known to offer world-class care for bone marrow and stem cell transplant in order to improve long-term outcomes for patients with blood cancers and other blood-related disorders. We offer comprehensive patient-centric care to both adults and paediatric patients.

Our trained haematologists perform hundreds of bone marrow and stem cell transplants every year. The state-of-the-art transplant facilities offered at BLK are second to none. We have streamlined the transplant process by providing cutting edge inpatient and outpatient services.

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is among the greatest success stories in cancer care and has boosted cure rated for some of the critical cancers from zero to nearly 90%.

What Is Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant?

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation is one of the most secure non-invasive ways of collecting blood-forming cells from the circulating (peripheral) blood. The same blood-forming cells are found in the bone marrow and are used in Bone Marrow Transplant

The donor for PBSC transplantation can be of two types. Their names are based on who gives the stem cells.

Autologous: The stem cells are collected from the patient itself.

Allogeneic: The stem cells are collected from a matched related or unrelated donor.

What Are The Indicators For This Transplantation?

Stem cells transplant is used to treat patients with hematologic malignancies and other blood related disorders, such as:

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Chronic lymphatic leukaemia

Acute myelogenous leukaemia

Chronic myelogenous leukaemia

Relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's disease

Relapsed or high-risk non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Multiple myelomas

Sickle cell anaemia

Severe aplastic anaemia

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Primary amyloidosis

Relapsed germ cell/testicular tumours

Other life-threatening blood disorders

What Is The Procedure Of The Transplantation?

Since it’s a crucial treatment process, a patient has to undergo various processes before the transplant to ensure high safety and better outcomes

Step 1: Pre-transplant Process: A doctor might prescribe Pre-transplant tests and procedures, where a series of tests and procedures are performed to ensure the patient’s general health and the status of the medical condition. This process of evaluation may take several days.

Beginning Medical Evaluation

Conference For Treatment Plan

Central Venous Catheter Evaluation And Insertion

Step 2: Stem Cell Harvest: The blood is collected from a vein in the arm of the donor (Autologous or Allogeneic). The blood then flows into a machine that removes the stem cells from the blood and returns the remaining blood into the body of a donor through the vein in the other arm.

Step 3: Conditioning Process: The patient receives conditioning where chemotherapy or radiation therapy is used

To treat tumourous cells in case of malignancy

Preparing the patient’s bone marrow for developing new stem cells

It is also used for suppressing the patient’s immune system.

Step- 4: Stem Cell Transplant: The patient receives a cytotoxic treatment, where the harvested stem cells are placed in the patient’s body through a blood vessel in the chest using a catheter. These stem cells then travel through the patient’s bloodstream into the bones of the body, where they tend to create new stem cells.

Step 5: Engraftment: In this process, the patient is closely monitored for the sign of the growth of new stem cells along with supportive care.

What Are The Precautions One Must Take Before And After The Transplant?

A peripheral stem cell transplant is a non-invasive way of treating various blood-related disorders. A patient has to undertake various precautions before and after the transplant.For the Donor: Before Donating:

A donor will undergo a pre-transplant assessment, which will include:

Blood tests to assess blood counts, clotting factors and blood type

Chest X-ray

Electrocardiogram to check your heart

Urinalysis

A complete medical history and physical exam

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) match Test

The donor should not be taking any of these medicines:

Aspirin

Blood Thinners (Warfarin, directly acting oral anticoagulants)

Medications that contain aspirin or any other Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

A donor will get injections to increase the number of stem cells in the blood

After Donating:

A donor is advised to take a pain reliever for the discomfort caused during the donation of stem cells

A donor is able to return to the normal activities after 5 to 6 hours of stem cell donation.

For the patient: Before the transplant

It is necessary to all the advised pre-transplant tests

Talk to your doctor about the transplant procedure in advance

Make sure to inform your doctor if you have any allergies.

Prepare yourself for the transplant both mentally and physically.

After the Transplant

A patient must take regular follow-ups with the doctor.

A patient might feel tired after the transplant and will require proper rest.

Do not drink alcohol or smoke tobacco for up to one week after the surgery.

Take proper medication as prescribed by the healthcare expert.

Seek the help of the doctor immediately in case you feel uneasy or discomfort.

Are There Any Complications Involved?

The possible risk factors associated with a stem cell transplant for patient are caused by high dose treatment and radiotherapy. The risk factors include:

Immediate side effects

Fatigue

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhoea

Mouth Sores

Bleeding

Low levels of platelets

Low levels of red blood cells (can cause anaemia)

Risk of infection from an ALLO transplant

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) – a condition caused by the attack of new stem cells

Long-term side effects

Infertility in women

Cataracts in eyes

Thyroid problems

Risk of developing another cancer

Early menopause for women

Lung or bone damage

Our Stem cell transplant unit at BLK Hospital offers best after transplant services to each patient under our care. These services speed up the recovery process of the donor as well as of the patient and provide comprehensive care at the time of emergency.

Find Complete Relief from BLK Experts

If you think you are facing similar conditions, or have suffered from them in the past, please contact the BLK Hospital team to schedule an appointment at : +91-11-30403040